This doesn't usually bother me that much ...

diy_fun_uk said:
On balance I think you're right, they should just have had her look up some evidence on her police issued smartphone before heading back to base in her EV police car ;)
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There was a scene in Game of Thrones that had a Starbucks cup sitting on the table.

Now you would be forgiven for thinking that's a Starbucks cup really shouldn't have been there in a land and a time unknown to us.
Because it was fictional, how would we know if there wasn't a Starbucks around in that land or time. If the director wants Scene with a Starbucks cup then why shouldn't he? It's all made up it's not real and it's his ball.
 
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diy_fun_uk said:
... however last night I was watching the Graham Norton chat show. Olivia Colman was on promoting her latest film (or movie if you prefer) called Wicked Little Letters. It's based on a true story that happened in 1920s England and I think they've pretty much set the film in the same era. Note the film isn't a fantasy type affair where anything could be going on.

Cue clip of the film. Woman opens door and there's a female policewoman standing. This is historically ok as the first UK female policewoman was in 1915 with them becoming more prevalent in the 1920s. However the actor (or actress if you prefer) playing the part very obviously has dark skin. I'm not sure what ethnicity she's supposed to be in the film, in real life she's Singaporean. However when it comes to Asian/Black policewomen, the first one I can find started to serve with the Met in 1968 ... a fair bit after the 1920s.

I obviously understand dramas can be (and often are these days) flexible/fluid with history, timeframes and social constructs. However given this film is set in 1920s England, I think it's almost farcical to cast a dark-skinned actor in the role of female policewoman when this simply wouldn't have been possible at that time. I actually find this sort of thing quite insulting to the viewer. In a way, yes I understand not an important way, you could assert it's rewriting history.

Why not go the whole hog and have her drive away in a Vauxhall Viva?

I'm hoping this thread doesn't become a racist rant fest, that's not my intention in creating it. It's more the fact of dramas insulting our intelligence with things that, historically, simply couldn't have happened.
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I have just watched said film and enjoyed it. However, as an historian I agree whole heartedly in your comments.
Given the context of the film, Patriarchy and social gender roles appear to have been portrayed as what can be said as typical of the era. I cannot therefore understand why then, that such inaccuracies appear in terms of ethnicity?
The first black Magistrate was in 1962 and the first black high court judge was in 2004.
Gladys Moss was the first female WPC and was a White female. Annan Vasan portrayed the character well, showing the frustrations many WPCs must have fealt at that time, given the meniality of duties given. Gladys was taught to ride a motorbike.
It can be argued that there were more Liberal households both before and at the time set of the film, in terms of female enfranchisement, Millicent Garrett Fawcett for example, but why give good detail to one area of society and not another. Today's values of inclusivity should not be imposed upon history as it portrays the wrong image of society in the 1920s. Female prejudice shown bh men in the two spheres was clearly portrayed by the treatment of the female police officer.
The fear of offending should not hold substance, to do so re-writes history. As television is a major source from which many gain so say facts of history, I cannot argue enough how important accurate portrayals are made.
I question how many might feel were Nelson Mandela played by a white person in the spirit of inclusivity or a White Othello...almost as bad as Anne Boleyn being portrayed by a black person.
My comments are purely about historical context. My objective is not to offend or to be racially prejudice which I am not in any form, but to protect real history.
 
diy_fun_uk said:
... however last night I was watching the Graham Norton chat show. Olivia Colman was on promoting her latest film (or movie if you prefer) called Wicked Little Letters. It's based on a true story that happened in 1920s England and I think they've pretty much set the film in the same era. Note the film isn't a fantasy type affair where anything could be going on.

Cue clip of the film. Woman opens door and there's a female policewoman standing. This is historically ok as the first UK female policewoman was in 1915 with them becoming more prevalent in the 1920s. However the actor (or actress if you prefer) playing the part very obviously has dark skin. I'm not sure what ethnicity she's supposed to be in the film, in real life she's Singaporean. However when it comes to Asian/Black policewomen, the first one I can find started to serve with the Met in 1968 ... a fair bit after the 1920s.

I obviously understand dramas can be (and often are these days) flexible/fluid with history, timeframes and social constructs. However given this film is set in 1920s England, I think it's almost farcical to cast a dark-skinned actor in the role of female policewoman when this simply wouldn't have been possible at that time. I actually find this sort of thing quite insulting to the viewer. In a way, yes I understand not an important way, you could assert it's rewriting history.

Why not go the whole hog and have her drive away in a Vauxhall Viva?

I'm hoping this thread doesn't become a racist rant fest, that's not my intention in creating it. It's more the fact of dramas insulting our intelligence with things that, historically, simply couldn't have happened.
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All part of the lefty/political brain washing and propaganda. Not so bad for adults who realise what's going on. Completely wrong to inflict it on those who know no better, ie. younger generations and left-leaning GD members. They end up believing that this sinister subterfuge is reality.
 
ReganAndCarter said:
All part of the lefty/political brain washing and propaganda. Not so bad for adults who realise what's going on. Completely wrong to inflict it on those who know no better, ie. younger generations and left-leaning GD members. They end up believing that this sinister subterfuge is reality.
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You prefer your racist ideology to be preached. :rolleyes:
 
ReganAndCarter said:
All part of the lefty/political brain washing and propaganda. Not so bad for adults who realise what's going on. Completely wrong to inflict it on those who know no better, ie. younger generations and left-leaning GD members. They end up believing that this sinister subterfuge is reality.
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I agree, historical dramas, need to be historically accurate, in all essential facts. Most of us in any sort of trade, will spot inaccuracies of presentation in our own sphere - In dramas supposed to be set in the 60's, I spot modern MK sockets, switches, and switchgear and modern doorbell pushes, acceptable I suppose, but swapping white for black or Asian - no way..
 
Harry Bloomfield said:
I agree, historical dramas, need to be historically accurate, in all essential facts. Most of us in any sort of trade, will spot inaccuracies of presentation in our own sphere - In dramas supposed to be set in the 60's, I spot modern MK sockets, switches, and switchgear and modern doorbell pushes, acceptable I suppose, but swapping white for black or Asian - no way..
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It all depends on whether it's supposed to be a fictional programme based roughly on a historical story, or a docu-drama.

So it all depends on the writers opinion. The reader/spectator can have their own opinions.
Often fiction is woven into the approximate historical fact to provide entertainment.

Some writers claim historical accuracy is secondary to story, while others believe in responsibility to the reader to show historical accuracy in the writing. Because of the rise of this genre, considering the importance of historical accuracy becomes relevant for writers who want to write historical fiction.
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fictionary.co

The importance of historical accuracy | Fictionary

In this article, Fictionary Certified StoryCoach Editor Heather Wood shares her tips on nailing historical accuracy when writing historical fiction.
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Harry Bloomfield said:
I agree, historical dramas, need to be historically accurate, in all essential facts.
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If the historical dramas were written in the language of the time or place, you wouldn't be able to read them.
So on that most important and essential issue, of the language at the centre of the drama, they're inaccurately portrayed.
 
I started watching The Decameron on N.flix last night - set in 1348, during the Black Death in Italy, a bunch of people are invited to a villa nearby the fair city of Firenze to escape the plague and enjoy themselves at their leisure. Historically accurate in the setting but the people are an eclectic mix of race, religion and culture, far from 14th century Italy. They speak English and a soundtrack of New Romantic music from the early 80s joins in the fun with a slapdash attention to any historical detail. It's all in good fun and doesn't give a hoot for the opinions of history nerds.
The set design and clothing is, however, faithful to the period and sometimes you can see how it may have been to live through such a traumatic time, so the show seems to be saying modern folk aren't any different to their ancestors and wouldn't act any differently. Comparisons with Covid aside, it's only eight episodes and you don't have to wear a mask.
 
Some screen depictions (a few) do try to recall the language of the period or place, with subtitles provided.
But that's hardly practical in written dramas.
 
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